First, we hear of the KRM (Kenosha-Milwaukee-Racine) Metra Rail Line, now we hear Madison is just about to have a light rail line, which city could be next as this thing called light rail or commuter rail could be robbing the taxpayers money. If people think is a good thing, then they do not the real costs of having a full-level transit system (bus and rail together). For that you do not have to go far to Chicago to see the real costs in action. Right in Chicago, the Citizens of Cook County are paying higher sales taxes, as we are talking over 10 percent which is state-county-and city combined. In Chicago, a citizen already pays 9.25 percent sales tax on any purchase made in Cook County. Earlier this year, the Cook County Board approved another sales tax increase that will raise the sales tax to yes, eleven percent. The rental car tax at 12 percent should of have been one of the main funding avenues if bureaucrats in Chicagoland could spend their money effectively. But, during the Milwaukee County Executive campaign when Scott Walker in a campaign video shown that Chicago’s transit system is almost bankrupt from a Chicago Sun Times Article, it hit home to the people in Milwaukee that light rail will not be able to solve the problem, because cities like Chicago and others do not address the cost. Fred Dooley from RealDebateWisconsin is right that if the KRM line is implemented, that it is complete insanity to run a program at a 83 percent loss, and even not having the rail line connected to General Mitchell Airport is a travesty too if the line were to be constructed. But, when in Illinois, when their government officals cannot take into account the high costs of the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) and Metra Transit Systems, then it should wake up people in Wisconsin to take action on the issue. Even as Governor Rod Blagoevich has put Illinois in the worst fiscal crisis out of any state in America, the embattled Illinois Governor is really socking to the taxpayers by giving the CTA and Metra, free bus and train rides on the dime of the Illinois Taxpayers as these transit systems are running at staggering losses. Wisconsin cannot squander a golden opportunity right now as we are out of the top ten taxed states for the first time in close to thirty years. These rail proposals in Southeast Wisconsin and Madison take us in the wrong direction, because these programs will be run by unelected officials who have no accountablity over the money spent. Because there is no accountablity in Chicago, there is the political machine and corruption that has tarnished the state politically. As Chicago continues to have massive taxes to fund ineffective programs like the RTA, we should as citizens of Wisconsin put this into our mindset before we allow these sneaky programs to happen and rob our future prosperity.